Pile or pier



(No Model.) 4

O. DELAPIELD.

PILE OR PIER.

N0. 374,944. Patented D60. 20, 1887.

graphcr. Washington 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

,OLARENOE DELAFIELD, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

PILE OR PIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,944, dated December20, 1887.

Application tiled May 12, 1887.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE DELAFIELD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Piles or Piers, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in piles for constructing piersand wharves; and the principal points or objects in view are, first,that of great strength and long durability, and, secondly, that ofaffording facility for lowering or planting the piles or piers in waterbeds or bottoms.

With these ends in view the invention consists, essentially, of ametallic pipe and a number of stone or other blocks strung upon the pipeand strongly clamped together and held thereon by washers and nuts orother suitable means, with or without cement between the blocks; and italso consists of a number of tubes or pipes with the said blocks strungthereon in such manner that some of the blocks-say every alternateone-are titted over two or more pipes, whereby the pipes are connectedtogether and become in effect as one, this form being principally usedwhen constructing piers and sheet'piling, and columns of larger sizethan it is desirable to build of one pipe, the cement being also used ornot used, as preferred.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andon which like reference-letters indicate corresponding fea tures, Figure1 represents a side elevation of a section of sheet-piling, aportionbeing shown in section at one end and side to illustrate theconstruction; and Fig. 2, a like view showing a pile proper.

The letter A designates a wrought-metal pipe, or a series of such pipes,as occasion may require. These pipes are provided with screwthreads ateach end and with heavy washers on plates B and nuts 0. Upon this pipe,as seen in Fig. 2, I place a series of stone or wooden blocks, or blocksof other suitable material, or a series of bricks, with an interveninglayer of some strong cement, and when the proper length demanded by theparticular occasion is reached one of the nuts 0 and a plate or washer Bare applied to the pipe,

(No model.)

and the whole series of blocks orbricks is forcibly brought against theintervening cement. \Vhen the latter has set, the series will be foundto have practically become as one column or sheet, and to be strong andvery durable.

Of course the cement may be omitted and the compressing tendency of thenuts and plates depended upon to give strength and rigidity to thestructure. The cement, however, is greatly preferred, and especially sowhen the blocks are of a practically noncompressible nature, as stone.Again, when wooden blocks are used, a coating of oil or other materialmay be used to afford the wood the power of resisting the action ofsalt-water, as of barnacles, worms, &c., incident to it.

In Fig. l the blocks or bricks are shown with two pipes passing througheach of them and with thejoints in the respectiye layers out of line.This adds strength to the structure, as well as enables me to extend thesame almost indefinitely in width, so as to compose a column or tocompose sheet-piling. Rods may be used, (see Fig. 1, B,) but I'preferthe pipes, as it enables me to pass a stream of water through the sameto excavate the substrata and allow the lowering of the piles or piersto take place by gravity.

Suitable apparatus is provided for pumping under pressure a streamthrough the single tube of the pile, or for pumping a stream of waterthrough each of the several tubes of the sheet-pile. In the latter casea number of cut-offs are provided, so as to continue some streams whileothers are discontinued. The water passing through the tubes acts uponthe water-bed and excavates the soil, so as to form the foundation ofthe piles or sheet-piles, which of their own gravity settle down intothe excavation. The proper level in the case of sheet-piles is securedby continuing some of the streams and discontinuing others. It will beunderstood that the piles or sheetpiles are held in a vertical positionby suitable rafts or other floats; but as these and the pumpingmachinery for forcing the streams of water form no part of my invention(indeed, they are now commonly known, such as flatboats and steam-pumps)I do not illustrate them. 7

It will be observed that the structure here described forms a compositepile, pier, or sheet-piling, the pipes or rods forming the core and theblocks or bricks the body.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is v v 1. A composite pileconsisting of a series of wrought-metal pipes having screw-threaded endsand a series of layers of blocks, through 10 each block of each of whichlayers are passed two of said pipes, a washer on the end of each pipeand against the upper and lower blocks, and a nut for each end of eachpipe to bind and hold the structure together.

2. In the art of erecting hollow sheetpiles,

the hereindescribed process, consisting in placing the sheet-pi1es uponthe water-bottom and in forcing a stream of water through the series ofpassages against the water-bottom, and in continuing and discontinuingthe stream through different passages, soas to secure the proper levelto the sheet by excavating the bottom more or less at different points,ac-

cording to the condition thereof.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' CLARENCE DELAFIELD. XVitnesses:

RICHARD PRATT, E. L. RUssELL.

